Ballston Mall Molotov Cocktail Suspect Charged

(Updated at 11:00 a.m.) Arlington County Police have filed charges against the suspect in yesterday’s attempted fire bombing of the Ballston Common Mall food court.

Leon A. Traille, Jr., 29, of no fixed address, has been charged with reckless endangerment, attempted malicious bodily injury by use of fire, and use of a fire bomb.

Traille is due in Arlington County Court this morning for a preliminary hearing. Traille is still being interviewed by federal investigators, but Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said he has so far not been very cooperative. Federal charges, which would supersede the local charges, are also expected to be filed against Traille in the near future, Sternbeck said.

Sternbeck said the crime Traille is accused of — tossing a flaming 40 oz. bottle, filled with a flammable liquid, into the mall food court — was likely not an act of terrorism.

“Right now we don’t believe it’s an act of terrorism,” he said. “It’s more like it’s an act of stupidity.”

The LinkedIn account for an individual with the same name and age as Traille says he’s a computer programmer who has been out of work since Aug. 2011. According to public records, Traille has previously lived in Georgia and Oregon. A public records search turned up no prior criminal history.